Direct Electrochemical Leaching Method for High-Purity Lithium Recovery from Spent Lithium Batteries

); 95.02% of Li in the spent T-LIBs was leached under 2.5 V in 3 h. Meanwhile, nearly 100% Li recovery purity was also achieved, attributed to no other metal leaching and additional agents. We also clarified the relationship between lithium leaching and other metals during the electro-oxidation of spent T-LIBs. Under the optimized voltage, Ni and O maintain the electroneutrality in the structure assisting Li leaching, while Co and Mn maintain their valence states. A direct electro-oxidation Li leaching approach achieves high Li recovery purity and meanwhile overcomes the secondary pollution problem.